


Content

by Inell



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Action/Adventure, Friendship, Post-Hogwarts, Romance, The Quidditch Pitch: Leaving Feast
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-09-06
Updated: 2006-09-06
Packaged: 2018-10-26 16:48:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10790670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inell/pseuds/Inell
Summary: She could get used to this





	Content

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Annie, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Quidditch Pitch](http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Quidditch_Pitch), which went offline in 2015 when the hosting expired, at a time I was not able to renew it. I contacted Open Doors, hoping to preserve the archive using an old backup, and began importing these works as an Open Doors-approved project in April 2017. Open Doors e-mailed all authors about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact us using the e-mail address on [The Quidditch Pitch collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/thequidditchpitch/profile).

  
Author's notes:

[](http://community.livejournal.com/7spells/profile)[**7spells**](http://community.livejournal.com/7spells/) **Prompt #7:** The Only Adventure

This marks the last chapter of this little series. I've been considering calling it 'Unexpected' but I'm not sure. Anyway, a HUGE thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read and comment. I appreciate it!  


* * *

The sound of raucous singing spilled onto the street from the doors of the pub every time they were opened. Hermione smiled at the familiar sound as she entered the pub and walked to the bar. She placed her order quickly and sat down to wait, finding it somewhat odd to not be taking a drink to the table by the window as she had most Friday nights for the past few years. She’d probably be back next week as tonight was just a change in routine.

A quick glance around confirmed that it was crowded so she knew she’d have to wait. The pub was even more crowded on Friday nights than ever before, which she assumed was a good thing. She smiled when she saw Seamus flirting with Theodore Nott, who had taken to drinking pineapple juice since he’d realized Seamus’ arse looked even better when one was sober. At a corner table, Hannah Abbott was sipping a glass of butterbeer, her eyes dry as Susan Bones chattered on and slowly pulled her back into life.

Once she paid for her purchase, she got up and left the pub. The singing followed her as she stepped into the crisp autumn air. It was late October and there was already a vast array of coats and scarves already on display. Autumn was her favorite time of year, though she did love the rebirth that spring brought. Autumn, though, was a time of change.

As she walked home from the pub, her mind took her back to a similar evening eight months ago. It was funny to look back on that night, the one that unknowingly would end up changing her life, and realize how something as casual as a cup of hot chocolate could lead to what she had now. A nostalgic smile crossed her face as she walked past her old building. She glanced up and saw the darkness of her old flat, knowing it hadn’t been rented out yet.

At the corner, Hermione turned and saw her new building. The flat was in the corner and on the second floor. She could see the lights on and stopped for a moment when she noticed a familiar figure walk past the large window that had sold her on the flat. Well, she’d also liked the layout and the rooms, which were bigger than most they’d viewed. He’d liked the kitchen, which was a perfect working space for him as he learned more recipes to make. She had to admit that it was rather adorable to see him in his ‘manly’ apron as he painstakingly measured ingredients and experimented with various entrées for dinner. Of course, his fondness for making baked goods was going to force her to start exercising.

Bill was unpacking a box of books, the glow of the light behind him making his hair a vivid flame in the night sky, and she decided that she’d hang the drapes before bed. She loved the views from all the windows in the flat but she didn’t particularly care for the idea that anyone could stand here and see so clearly into their house. She watched him as he finished unpacking it and tossed the empty box behind him before he pulled his hair back as he disappeared from her sight.

Hermione walked to their building and took the stairs up to the second floor. The building was older than most but well cared for, possessing a history that had appealed to both her and Bill. It didn’t have a lift and was only three floors, ten flats total with a variety of neighbors that had already come out to welcome them as they’d moved in during the last few days. The elderly witch that lived in the back corner of the third floor had seemed a bit taken aback at the lack of wedding rings on their hands but had recovered quickly and had even made them tea last night.

When she entered their flat, she could smell spice and chicken. Bill was in the kitchen, his hair pulled back, his shirt off, and the frilly apron that had been a joke gift from Charlie upon hearing they were planning to move in together tied around his waist. She took a second to observe him as he worked with his back to her, noticing the pull of his muscles and the freckles on his lower back that were always tempting her to touch.

She put down the bottle of wine she’d just bought and stepped up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist and kissing his shoulder. “Hey.”

“Hey you,” he said softly as he looked over his shoulder and smiled at her. She leaned up and brushed a kiss against his lips before she stepped away. “I’m about to put dinner in the oven. I started working on the bookcase and couldn’t stand to leave the shelf half full so I just got this finished.”

“It smells good,” she told him as she took off her coat and hung it up before she kicked off her shoes. She walked around the boxes that were still stacked everywhere and began to break down the boxes that were already empty. She couldn’t stand having the empty boxes just lying there. Once they were done, she went to the window and looked out, watching the quiet street below them.

Bill put the chicken in the oven and then poured them each a glass of wine. He moved behind her and she took her glass before she leaned back against him. They stood there silently sipping their wine in their new flat. It was still a bit of a surprise to think of it as _their_ flat. She knew a few of their friends were worried that things had moved too fast. It had only been a few months since their relationship had developed from friendship into something more, after all, and moving in together was a big step.

Those that spent time with them, however, knew it wasn’t too fast at all. It was a natural progression and it felt right. Neither of them was likely to have agreed if there had been any doubts. Well, there had been doubts but just typical relationship doubts and nothing serious. After they’d talked about it and decided they wanted to live together, the few doubts had faded and they were both very content as they made this flat their new home. The only true adventure in this world, she realized as she spent more time with Bill and her feelings developed over time, was falling in love and _living_ instead of simply existing.

“I love you,” she said softly as she sighed in contentment, smiling as he tightened his arms around her and nuzzled her neck.

“Love you, too,” he whispered before he brushed a kiss against her skin.

They rarely said the words, to be honest, and she could still remember the first time he’d said them so clearly. It had been a couple of weeks after they had become intimate. She’d been cleaning the toilet, of all things, and had looked a mess with gloves up to her elbows and her hair falling from a sloppy ponytail. He’d been putting away laundry, folding towels and flannels, and he’d casually said it as he put up a blue towel. It had taken her a moment to realize what he’d said but she’d recovered quickly and casually said it back as she scrubbed the toilet with a smile on her face.

Since then, they said it occasionally but it wasn’t something they had to hear to know. The words simply verbalized what their actions, their caresses, and their gazes said silently. It was nice to say, though, and she always liked to hear it because she knew it had taken him years before he was ready to say those words again and she realized how much it meant for him to say them.

Hermione put her glass of wine on the window sill and took his glass from him. She waved her wand at the wireless and soft music began to play as she looked at him and smiled. “I’d ask you to dance but there are boxes everywhere.”

Bill smiled as he brushed her hair away from her face. “I’d rather stand here and hold you than dance,” he admitted before he kissed the tip of her nose, “though I suppose we should finish unpacking.”

“Not tonight,” she decided. “I want to hang the drapes before bed but I don’t want to do anything else productive until tomorrow.”

“Really?” He arched a brow and a mischievous smile that was becoming more common as time went by crossed his lips as his hand drifted up and down her back. “It’s rather early still, Miss Granger. However did you expect to spend the remainder of the evening if we’re to be unproductive?”

“I’m certain that two intelligent and creative people such as ourselves should be able to think of something, Mister Weasley,” she told him before she leaned up and kissed him thoroughly.

He laughed softly when the kiss ended. Before she knew what he planned, he picked her up and walked to the sofa. He found a spot that wasn’t covered with moving boxes and sat down, keeping her on his lap. “I think there’s time to indulge in my favorite pastime before dinner is ready,” he told her before he kissed her.

She kissed him back as her fingers moved into his hair. She pulled it free from the cord binding it and shifted on his lap, hoping it took the chicken awhile to cook. This might not be a crowded pub with drunken singing all around them, but she could get used to spending her Friday nights like this. She wasn’t someone who usually believed in things that couldn’t be logically proved, but she knew as she and Bill kissed on the sofa in their new flat, love and contentment having long since replaced the loneliness and restlessness that had been her life prior to their unexpected reunion in February, that some things were just meant to be.

The End  



End file.
